Zhilei Zhang says he wants to give the fans what they want by facing Anthony Joshua in a huge rematch of their Olympics match in 2012. Knowing that Zhang deserved the win, Joshua may still be suffering mental scars from that fight.
AJ narrowly escaped defeat in his fight with Zhang and looked exhausted in the final round, fighting on fumes, taking big lefts from ‘Big Bang.’
It would take a lot of courage on Joshua’s part to accept the challenge from Zhang because this is a completely different type of fighter than the ones that Eddie Hearn has matched against lately to cheer him up that he’s not washed.
Fans are hungry for quality opposition for AJ rather than the down-and-out sorts that Hearn has been wheeling out for him to knock over so he can say, ‘See, Joshua is back. He’s the best in the world.‘ The fans weren’t born yesterday. They know what Hearn is up to, which is why they want Joshua to face Zhang.
For Zhilei, it would be an opportunity for him to knock another Olympian off his high horse, to show fans that AJ’s not the fighter they thought he was.
Zhang (26-1-1, 21 KOs) called out Joshua last night on social media after watching him do a demolition job on Otto Wallin in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Unfinished business
In the eyes of fans, Joshua lost to Zhang in the 2012 London Olympics, even though he was given a dubious 15-11 decision. Given the controversy over the results of that fight, AJ could show that he wasn’t gifted a decision due to the fight being held in London.
This would be a good chance for Joshua to show the fans that he’s legitimately capable of beating a top-tier heavyweight because, unlike the fighters that AJ has been facing in his last three bouts, Zhang can actually fight and could ruin his career like he did Joe Joyce.
AJ’s promoter faces crucial decision
Joshua’s promoter, Hearn, would need to be convinced to allow him to face ‘Big Bang’ Zhang because he might resist that idea with every ounce of energy in his body after watching what he did to Joyce.
Hearn obviously knows what Zhang represents. He’s the ghost of the 2012 Olympics, a fighter that likely still haunts Joshua from that war.
It’s one thing for Hearn to say that Joshua is the best heavyweight in the division, but it’s a different matter for him to go out and prove it against Zhang.
On social media, fans are showing a lot of interest in Joshua accepting the challenge of facing Zhang on March 9th, because his fight with Deontay Wilder is no longer happening after the Bronze Bomber’s defeat last Saturday night against Joseph Parker.
There’s NO fan interest in seeing Joshua fight Parker because he already beat him in 2018, and people don’t want to see him fight Filip Hrgovic, other than Eddie Hearn. Zhang is the far better choice for Joshua to fight than Hrgovic or Parker, as those two matches wouldn’t draw flies nor bring in PPV buys on DAZN.
Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) did not look impressive in his narrow 15-11 victory over Zhang eleven years ago, losing most of the exchanges and getting lucky in the scoring.
AJ dropped Zhang once in the fight on a flash knockdown, but other than that, he got worked over by the powerful Chinese southpaw.
“I’m happy we have both come a long way and gone through ups and downs in life. Now it’s time to do this for the sport of boxing and give it to the fans around the world. Let’s get it on!” said Zhilei Zhang on Instagram, calling out Anthony Joshua.
Joshua’s victory over Wallin: What did it prove?
“He [Ben Davison] said, ‘Anthony was destroying sparring partners. He seems in a fantastic place,'” said Gareth A. Davies to Boxing King Media talking about Anthony Joshua’s preparation for his fight with Otto Wallin last Saturday night.
“You could see it from the opening minute. Joshua, a stepping jab to the body. You could see that he meant business in this fight. The couple of times he was caught, he carried it really well.
“Wallin’s not the biggest puncher, of course, but he absolutely roasted him round after round. He cut him down, chopped the tree down, and I’m really glad they pulled Wallin out in the corner,” said Davies.
